Foundation Italian Booklet PDF

FOUNDATION
ITALIAN
Hodder Arnold
A MEMBER OF THE HODDER HEADLINE GROUP
MT FOUNDATION COURSE ITALIAN 25/9/07 10:39 am Page i

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First published in UK 2000 by Hodder Headline, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
Copyright 2000, 2006 Thomas Keymaster Languages LLC All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Typeset by Transet Limited, Coventry, England.
Printed in Great Britain
Impression 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Year 2010 2009 2008 2007
ISBNs 978 0 340 93894 2, 978 0 340 93897 3
Michel Thomas, 19142005
Michel Thomas, the internationally renowned
linguist and language teacher, who was recently
awarded the Silver Star by the US Army for his bravery
in the Second World War, died of heart failure at his
home in New York on 8th January. He was 90.
MT FOUNDATION COURSE ITALIAN 25/9/07 10:39 am Page ii
Introduction
Anyone can learn a
language with
Michel Thomas!
The amazing teaching method of
the worlds greatest language teacher,
Michel Thomas, is now available to
everyone, not just the rich and famous.
These all-audio courses, published by
Hodder Arnold, provide an
accelerated method for language
learning that is truly revolutionary.
And they promise a remarkable
educational experience that will
make your learning both
exciting and pleasurable.
No books, no pens, no
homework, no memorizing
just sit back and let the most
sought-after language teacher in
the world be your guide. In a matter
of hours, you will find yourself
speaking and thinking in your new
language quite naturally and
effortlessly.
P
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o

b
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t

M
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a
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o
MT FOUNDATION COURSE ITALIAN 25/9/07 10:39 am Page 1
What is the Michel Thomas method?
Over a period of twenty-five years, Michel Thomas developed and perfected
a unique method of teaching languages*. His approach gives startling
results within a remarkably short time, all without the need for books,
memorizing, or homework. In essence, Michel Thomas breaks a language
down to its component parts and enables learners to reconstruct the
language themselves to form their own sentences, to say what they want,
when they want. The experience of learning a language becomes so exciting
and satisfying that it stimulates self-motivation and builds confidence.
Michel Thomas presents the language within simple, elegant structures that
echo the way the language is spoken. He achieves this by guiding you
through carefully planned sets of exercises that build up your understanding
of the language almost without you realizing it. You are able to absorb the
structures effortlessly and apply them naturally right from the start.
What does the Foundation (8-hour) course contain?
In his specially developed course you hear the voice of Michel Thomas as
he leads a class of two students. These students are novices who have little
or no knowledge of the language they are being taught. Their responses to
Michel Thomas are not scripted and they have received no additional
instruction or preparation just the guidance from Michel Thomas that you
hear. You participate in this class actively and learn along with the students.
This radically different approach means that you will learn a language in
real-time conditions, that is in the same way that the students on the
recording learn. There is no need to stop the recording to do homework,
additional exercises, or vocabulary memorization. Therefore, unlike other
learning methods you may have encountered, you will not be set unrealistic
or unachievable goals. The success of the Michel Thomas method is proven
by the very results that you hear from the students on the recording and, at
the same time, from you as you make your own responses!
*U.S. patent 6,565,358
2
*Tracking breaks in the recordings reflect the numbering in the index (pages 962). These breaks are added
purely to help you locate where you left off, and do not represent any sort of hierarchy in Michels method.
3
HOW IS THE FOUNDATION (8-hour) COURSE BEST USED?
Relax! Make yourself comfortable before playing the recording and try to let
go of the tensions and anxieties traditionally associated with learning.
Do not write or take any notes. Remove notebooks, pens, dictionaries
and anything else associated with learning at school.
Do not try to remember. While participating in the recording and
afterwards, it is important that you do not try to memorize specific words or
expressions. It is a basic principle of the Michel Thomas method that the
responsibility for the students learning lies with the teacher. With Michel
Thomas as your teacher, your learning will be based on understanding, and
what you understand you dont forget.
Interact fully with the recordings. Use the pause button and respond out
loud (or in a whisper, or in your head, if you are in a public place) before the
students responses. This is essential. You do not learn by repetition but by
thinking out the answers to each question; it is by your own thought process
that you truly learn.
Give yourself time to think. The students on the recordings had all the time
they needed to think out their responses. On the recordings their thinking time
has been cut in order to make full use of the recording time and to give you all
the time you may need (by pushing your pause button). The pause button is the
key to your learning!
Start at the beginning of the course. Whatever your existing knowledge
of the language you are learning, it is important that you follow the way that
Michel builds up your knowledge of the language.
Do not get annoyed with yourself if you make a mistake. Mistakes are
part of the learning process; as long as you understand why you made the
mistake and you have the ahaa reaction yes, of course, I understand now
you are doing fine. If you made a mistake and you do not understand why, you
may have been daydreaming for a few seconds. The course is structured so that
you cannot go on unless you fully understand everything, so just go back a little
and you will pick up where you left off.
Stop the recording whenever it suits you. You will notice that this course
is not divided into lessons*; you will always be able to pick up from where you
left off, without the need to review.
What level of language will I achieve?
The Foundation course is designed for complete beginners. It makes no
assumption of a knowledge of any language other than English. It will give the
beginner a practical and functional use of the spoken language. It is also
appropriate for anyone who has studied a language before, but has forgotten
much of it or does not have confidence in speaking.
Michel Thomas teaches the everyday conversational language that will allow
you to communicate in a wide variety of situations, empowered by the ability
to create your own sentences and use the language naturally. You will absorb
the vocabulary and grammatical structures and, in addition, will be introduced
to elements of writing and reading.
How quickly can I learn with the Foundation
(8-hour) course?
One of the most remarkable features of the Michel Thomas method is the
speed with which results are achieved. A knowledge of the language that will
take months of conventional study can be achieved in a matter of hours with
the Foundation course. Michel masterfully guides the student through an
instructional process at a very rapid rate yet the process will appear
informal, relaxed and unhurried. Michel moves quickly between numerous
practice sessions, which all build the learners confidence in their ability to
communicate in complex ways.
Because the Michel Thomas method is based on understanding, not
memorization, there is no set limit to the length of time that you should study
the course. It offers immersion without strain or stress, and you will find the
recordings are not divided into lessons, though the material has been indexed
for your convenience (pages 962). This means that you can stop and start as
you please.
The excitement of learning will motivate you to continue listening and
learning for as long a time as is practical for you. This will enable you to make
progress faster than you ever imagined possible.
4
Who is the Foundation (8-hour) course for?
Anyone can learn a language with the Michel Thomas method and the
wide diversity of his students proves this. Not only does Michel instruct the
rich and famous, but he has also taught many so-called hopeless cases. For
example, in 1997, Michel taught French to a group of sixteen-year-olds in
north London who had been told they could never learn a language, and
gave them the ability to use the new language far beyond their expectations
in just a week. Perhaps more important, he gave them the confidence to
speak and a belief in, and the experience of, their own ability to learn.
Whatever your motivation for learning a language, the Michel Thomas
course quite simply offers the most effective method that is available.
How do I use the Foundation Review course?
The Review course has been devised for those who want to review, quickly
and easily, the entire teaching contents of the Michel Thomas Foundation
course. The Review course can be used in many ways: when you have
reached the end of the main course to check or consolidate your learning;
as a quick refresher when you return to the main course after a lapse of
time; or if you are a newcomer to Michel Thomas looking for an overview
of what the main courses contain. Michel will give you a prompt in English,
there is a pause which allows time for your response in the foreign
language, then Michel gives the correct response. If you struggled to give
the right answer, or gave an incorrect answer, when working through the
Review course, you can use the index (pages 962) to locate precisely
where in the main course the specific language point is taught in depth, and
can return to the main course to work through the relevant section again.
What can I do next?
The Michel Thomas Advanced course is the long-awaited follow-on to the
Foundation course. In five hours, Michel expands on the structures he only
touches on in the earlier course to give you a comprehensive knowledge of
the entire language and verb system. As in the Foundation course, Michel
leads a class of two students, who had previously completed the
Foundation course.
5
The Michel Thomas Language Builders take the form of a one-to-one
lecture with Michel Thomas, building on the words and phrases in his
Foundation and Advanced courses. The courses provide confidence in
pronunciation, increase your word-power and consolidate your knowledge
in just two hours.
The much-anticipated Vocabulary courses carry forward the Michel
Thomas teaching tradition and faithfully follow his unique approach to
foreign language learning. The series editor is Dr Rose Lee Hayden, Michels
most experienced and trusted teacher. The courses remain faithful to the
method Michel Thomas uses in his earlier courses, with the all-audio and
building-block approach. The presenter builds on Michels foundations to
encourage the student at home to tap into the vast resources of vocabulary
common to English and the foreign languages taught here. The student
takes part in the audio, following prompts by the presenter, as in Michel
Thomas original Foundation and Advanced courses. The teaching is all in
English, with the addition of two native speakers to give models for perfect
pronunciation and to increase the opportunity for practice.
See the end of the booklet for details about all these courses.
Try to speak with native speakers whenever possible, as this is invaluable for
improving your fluency. Magazines and newspapers (especially those which
feature interviews) will give you practice in the most current and idiomatic
language. Expose yourself to the language whenever you can you will
have firm foundations on which to build.
So, who was Michel Thomas?
Michel Thomas was head of the Michel Thomas Language Centers and
taught languages for over fifty years, primarily in New York, Beverly Hills,
and London. He was a graduate of the Department of Philology at the
University of Bordeaux, France, and studied psychology at the Sorbonne
(Paris) and at the University of Vienna. However, it was his remarkable life
experiences that fuelled his passion for teaching languages.
Michel spent most of his childhood in Germany and France. With the rise of
Hitler, he began his years of escape and resistance. He spent two brutal
years in French concentration and slave labour camps, constantly threatened
by deportation to German death camps.
6
He escaped and fought for the French
Resistance, surviving capture and
interrogation by Klaus Barbie the
Butcher of Lyons and torture by
the Gestapo.
His mastery of languages enabled him to
adopt many identities (the last one being
Michel Thomas), and, once France was
liberated, allowed him to join the US Army
as an intelligence officer. His unit went on
to liberate Dachau, where he interrogated
the camp executioner and interviewed
survivors. As well as recording the horrors
of the Holocaust, he was driven by a
personal mission to discover the fate of his own family (he later discovered
that they had all perished in Auschwitz). At the end of the war, he
masterminded operations to uncover war criminals and infiltrate
underground Nazi groups, and was renowned for his ability to extract
confessions without ever recourse to violence. In 1944 Michel was
nominated for the Silver Star medal for his service to the US Armys 45th
Infantry Division in France. The award was finally presented to him in May
2004, sixty years later.
Michels wartime experiences, particularly his torture by the Gestapo when
he discovered the ability to block out pain, made him aware of the
untapped potential of the human mind. However, it was his deeply held
conviction that the biggest weapon in maintaining a free society was
education that drove him to devote his life to probing the learning process.
Michel moved to Los Angeles in 1947, and he set up a language institute in
Beverly Hills. Over a period of twenty-five years, he developed a unique and
revolutionary learning system that has made him the worlds leading
language teacher. Now, for the first time, his method has been made widely
available through the publication of these recordings.
For a full account of his fascinating life, read The Test of Courage: Michel Thomas by Christopher Robbins,
published by Hodder & Stoughton.
7
Michel in the uniform of an officer in
the French Resistance
Who has Michel Thomas taught?
People came from all over the world to learn a
foreign language with Michel Thomas because
his method works. His students, now numbering
in the thousands, have included well-known
people from the arts and from the corporate,
political and academic worlds. For example, he
taught French to filmstar Grace Kelly prior to her
marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Michels list of clients include:
Celebrities: Emma Thompson, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, Warren
Beatty, Melanie Griffith, Eddie Izzard, Bob Dylan, Jean Marsh, Donald
Sutherland, Mrs George Harrison, Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, Nastassja
Kinski, Carl Reiner, Raquel Welch, Johnny Carson, Julie Andrews, Isabelle
Adjani, Candice Bergen, Barbara Hershey, Priscilla Presley, Loretta Swit, Tony
Curtis, Diana Ross, Herb Alpert, Angie Dickinson, Lucille Ball, Doris Day,
Janet Leigh, Natalie Wood, Jayne Mansfield, Ann-Margaret, Yves Montand,
Kim Novak, Otto Preminger, Max von Sydow, Peter Sellers, Franois Truffaut,
Sophia Coppola.
Diplomats, dignitaries and academics: Former U.S. Ambassador to France,
Walter Curley; U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Joseph V. Reed; Cardinal John
OConnor, Archbishop of New York; Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua,
Archbishop of Philadelphia; Armand Hammer; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of
York; Professor Herbert Morris, Dean of Humanities at UCLA; Warren
Keegan, Professor of Business at Pace University in New York; Professor
Wesley Posvar, former President of the University of Pittsburgh.
Executives from the following corporations: AT&T International,
Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Chase Manhattan Bank, American Express,
Merrill Lynch, New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Boeing
Aircraft, General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, Bank of America, Max
Factor, Rand Corporation, Bertelsmann Music Group-RCA, Veuve Clicquot
Inc., McDonalds Corporation, Rover, British Aerospace.
8
Michel with Grace Kelly
9
Index
= features on the Review course = Foundation (8-hour) course only
Foundation (8-hour) course: CD 1 Track 1
0:00 Introduction. How to use this course
Foundation (8-hour) course: CD 1 Track 2 Review course
CD 1 Track 2
0:00 Italian language: similarities to English. A few thousand words
are very similar in English and Italian so vocabulary is not a
problem. The important thing is to learn how to formulate your
own thoughts using the language, i.e. structure, which you
will get here.
0:57 English words ending in -ible end in -ibile in Italian.
0:59 possible possibile
1:12 it is
1:17 It is possible. possibile.
1:26 it is not non
1:29 It is not possible. Non possibile.
1:38 for me per me
1:44 It is for me. per me.
1:52 It is not for me. Non per me.
1:59 It is not possible for me. Non possibile per me.
2:10 for you per lei
2:18 for her per lei
2:23 It is for you. per lei.
2:29 It is not for me. Non per me.
2:35 It is possible for you. possibile per lei.
2:44 To ask a question use inflection.
2:49 Is it not possible for you? Non possibile per lei?
3:00 why? perch?
3:12 because perch
3:15 Why isnt it possible for you? Perch non possibile per lei?
3:35 like that / that way cos
3:52 It is like that. cos.
4:03 It is not like that. Non cos.
4:10 It is not possible for me Non possibile per
that way. me cos.
4:33 Im sorry. Mi dispiace.
4:41 mi dispiace means it displeases me, to me it displeases.
It is usually followed by but.
5:02 Im sorry but Mi dispiace, ma
5:10 Im sorry but it is not possible Mi dispiace, ma non possibile
for me that way. per me cos.
5:35 English words ending in -able end in -abile in Italian.
5:39 probable probabile
5:45 It is not probable. Non probabile.
5:54 English -ly is -mente in Italian.
6:01 probably probabilmente
6:05 possibly possibilmente
CD 1 Track 3
0:00 late tardi
0:08 It is late. tardi.
0:16 very molto
0:24 It is very late. molto tardi.
0:33 later pi tardi
0:34 more pi
0:41 I want voglio
0:52 I io
0:54 You dont need io because the verb ending in -o already
expresses I. If you use io, you put emphasis on I.
1:13 to know sapere
1:22 I want to know. Voglio sapere.
1:33 I dont want non voglio
1:42 I dont want to know. Non voglio sapere.
1:59 where dove
2:03 I want to know where is ... Voglio sapere dov ...
2:12 Dove contracts to dov.
2:24 how much quanto
2:29 I want to know how much it is. Voglio sapere quant.
2:51 to buy comprare
2:58 I want to buy voglio comprare
10
3:07 the thing la cosa
3:15 I want to buy the thing. Voglio comprare la cosa.
3:28 the same thing la stessa cosa
3:42 I want to buy the same thing. Voglio comprare la stessa cosa.
3:55 I dont want to buy the Non voglio comprare la stessa
same thing. cosa.
4:15 the same lo stesso
4:22 I want to buy the same. Voglio comprare lo stesso.
4:36 But I dont want the same Ma non voglio la stessa cosa.
thing.
4:50 you want vuole
4:56 Do you want the same thing? Vuole la stessa cosa?
5:09 What do you want? Che vuole? / Che cosa vuole? /
Cosa vuole?
5:53 What do you want to buy? Cosa vuole comprare?
6:42 here qui
6:49 What do you want to buy here? Cosa vuole comprare qui?
CD 1 Track 4
0:04 some qualche
0:06 something qualchecosa / qualcosa
0:18 Do you want to buy Vuole comprare qualcosa qui?
something here?
0:43 Why dont you want to buy Perch non vuole comprare
something here? qualcosa qui?
1.09 Instead of vuole in the spoken language, you can use vuol:
Cosa vuol comprare? or Cosa vuole comprare?
1:45 it lo
1:48 to know it saperlo
1:52 sapere + lo: lo gets hooked onto the verb to form saperlo.
All verbs in Italian end in -re (-are, -ere, -ire). If you want to
hook on something, you hook it onto the r, dropping the e.
2:32 I want to know it. Voglio saperlo.
2:46 to buy comprare
2:53 to buy it comprarlo
2:56 I want to buy it. Voglio comprarlo.
11
3:05 I want to know how much Voglio sapere quant perch
it is because I want to buy it. voglio comprarlo.
4:09 if se
4:17 expensive caro
4:25 It is very expensive. molto caro.
4:35 It is not very expensive. Non molto caro.
4:42 I want to buy it if it is not Voglio comprarlo se non
very expensive. molto caro.
5:16 too / too much troppo
5:24 It is not too expensive. Non troppo caro.
5:29 I want to buy it if it is not Voglio comprarlo se non
too expensive. troppo caro.
CD 1 Track 5
0:00 to have avere
0:11 I want to have it. Voglio averlo.
0:22 when quando
0:28 when is quando and how much is quanto.
0:32 When do you want to have it? Quando vuole averlo? /
Quando vuol averlo?
0:58 you can pu
1:08 You can have it ... Pu averlo ...
1:23 if you want se vuole
1:33 if you want to have it se vuole averlo / se vuol averlo
1:53 now ora / adesso
1:56 ora means hour as well as now.
2:08 I want to have it now. Voglio averlo adesso.
2:32 if it is possible se possibile
2:48 at what time a che ora
2:54 At what time do you want A che ora vuole (vuol) averlo?
to have it?
3:06 You can have it now if Pu averlo adesso se vuole.
you want.
3:36 a-b-l-e -abile
3:40 probable probabile
3:42 acceptable accettabile
12
3:57 It is not acceptable for me. Non accettabile per me.
4:09 Im sorry but it is not Mi dispiace, ma non
acceptable for me that way. accettabile per me cos.
4:51 I want to know why it is not Voglio sapere perch non
acceptable for you that way accettabile per lei cos
because it is very good. perch molto buono.
4:56 good buono
CD 1 Track 6
0:08 I think / as far as I am
concerned / according to me /
in my opinion secondo me
0:23 in your opinion secondo lei
0:30 As far as I know / As far as Secondo me, molto
I see / In my opinion it is buono cos.
very good that way.
1:05 I am sono / io sono
1:17 ready pronto
1:24 Im ready. Sono pronto.
1:33 soon presto
1:41 right away subito
1:46 Im ready right away. Sono pronto subito.
2:01 ready (feminine) pronta
2:11 Im ready soon. Sono pronta subito / presto.
2:27 It is ready. pronto.
2:35 It is not ready. Non pronto.
2:40 he is / it is / she is / is
2:50 to stay stare
3:01 I stay sto
3:07 The -o ending is for I.
3:12 he/she/it stays, you stay sta
(he/she/it is staying, you
are staying)
3:14 The -a ending is for you, he, she, it.
3:20 I stay here. Sto qui.
3:26 Hes staying here. Sta qui.
3:32 sta is for hes staying, shes staying, its staying, youre staying.
13
3:39 how long quanto tempo
3:59 How long are you staying? Quanto tempo sta?
4:19 How long are you staying here? Quanto tempo sta qui?
4:48 Verbs are very important because if you know how to use verbs
you know how to use the language.
5:55 Any word in front of which you can place the article the is a noun:
the happiness, the condition, the situation
6:10 An adjective is any word in front of which you can place am or is:
am proud, am happy, it is possible
6:22 A verb is any word in front of which you can place to: to go,
to see, to have, to be
6:44 The basic form of a verb in English is to .... This is expressed
in Italian in the ending -re: parlare (to speak), mangiare (to eat),
partire (to leave, to depart), capire (to understand), vedere (to see)
CD 1 Track 7
0:00 I want to see. Voglio vedere.
0:08 I want to see it. Voglio vederlo.
0:17 lo means it and also him; la means her
0:23 I want to see her. Voglio vederla.
0:30 you and her is the same: la
0:33 I want to see you later. Voglio vederla pi tardi.
0:57 a little un po
0:59 a little later un po pi tardi
1:14 I want to see you a little later. Voglio vederla un po pi tardi.
1:45 busy occupato
1:48 because Im busy now perch sono occupato adesso
2:12 to speak parlare
2:19 I want to speak Italian. Voglio parlare italiano.
2:27 I want to speak Italian with you. Voglio parlare italiano con lei.
2:41 Do you want to speak Vuole (Vuol) parlare italiano
Italian with me? con me?
2:58 Why dont you want to speak Perch non vuol (vuole)
Italian with me? parlare italiano con me?
3:18 Im sorry but I cannot speak Mi dispiace, ma non posso parlare
with you now. con lei ora (adesso).
4:11 because Im very busy now perch sono molto occupata ora
14
3:33 I can is posso; you can is pu; he can, she can is pu.
4:30 but I can see you a little later ma posso vederla un po pi tardi
5:15 to eat mangiare
5:28 I want to eat now. Voglio mangiare adesso.
5:41 What do you want to eat? Cosa vuole mangiare?
5:58 What do you want to eat now? Cosa vuole mangiare adesso?
6:16 Do you want to eat Vuole mangiare qualcosa
something now? ora?
6:40 Why dont you want to Perch non vuole mangiare
eat now? adesso?
CD 1 Track 8
0:00 I eat mangio
0:33 he eats / she eats / you eat mangia
0:44 For verbs ending in -are: -o for I and -a for you, he, she, it
0:55 We have three types of verbs: -are (mangiare, parlare, andare),
-ere (vedere), -ire (partire, venire). All verbs can be divided into
two tracks: verbs that end in -are and verbs that dont end in -are.
For I you usually have an o on both tracks. For he, she, it and
you on the -are track, use a (parla). For the other verbs,
use e (vede).
1:04 to go andare
1:12 to see vedere
1:20 to come venire
2:06 I speak parlo
2:12 you speak / he speaks / parla
she speaks
2:33 I see vedo
2:42 you see vede
2:52 to take prendere
2:57 I take prendo
3:00 you take / youre taking prende
3:07 Im taking it. Lo prendo.
3:16 Youre taking it. Lo prende.
3:22 Why dont you take it? Perch non lo prende?
15
3:31 In English there are three ways to express the present tense:
I take it, I do take it, Im taking it. In Italian there is one way:
lo prendo.
3:57 In modern English you use do and dont for questions and
negatives and you use the progressive tense with -ing. In the
English of Shakespeare and of the King James Bible, English
was much closer to the Italian verb forms.
5:29 I am sono
5:33 I am eating mangio
6:00 I dont speak non parlo
6:15 Yes, I speak Italian but I S, parlo italiano, ma non
dont speak French. parlo francese.
6:28 In speaking its very important to observe traffic signals and not
to go through the red light, i.e. -ing, do and dont. They are
not used in Italian.
6:52 I dont eat non mangio
7:03 Im not busy. Non sono occupato (occupata).
7:22 Im not eating non mangio
7:27 I dont eat non mangio
CD 1 Track 9
0:00 to prepare preparare
0:06 I prepare preparo
0:13 I prepare it. Lo preparo.
0:24 I am preparing it. Lo preparo.
0:32 I dont prepare it. Non lo preparo.
0:37 I am not preparing it. Non lo preparo.
0:46 to have avere
0:52 I have ho
1:00 you have ha
1:06 Do you have something Ha qualcosa per me?
for me?
1:22 What do you have for me? Cosa ha per me?
1:35 Im hungry. Ho fame.
1:58 Are you hungry? Ha fame?
2:05 Do you want to eat something Vuole mangiare qualcosa adesso?
now? Are you hungry? Ha fame?
16
2:30 Dont you want to eat? Non vuole mangiare?
2:35 Arent you hungry? Non ha fame?
2:49 to drink bere
2:55 I drink bevo
3:04 you drink beve
3:13 What are you drinking? Cosa beve?
3:23 cosa expresses the question, so use of inflection is not
necessary here.
3:33 thirst sete
3:39 Im thirsty. Ho sete.
3:50 Im thirsty and I want to drink. Ho sete e voglio bere.
4:15 is
4:28 and e
4:31 Do you want to speak Vuole parlare italiano con me?
Italian with me?
4:55 What do you eat? Cosa mangia?
5:06 What are you eating? Cosa mangia?
5:21 to do / to make fare
5:37 What do you want to do? Cosa vuole fare?
6:07 Do you want to do it? Vuole farlo?
6:24 Why dont you want to Perch non vuole farlo ora
do it now? (adesso)?
CD 1 Track 10
0:00 I can posso
0:07 you can pu
0:14 Im very sorry but I cannot Mi dispiace molto, ma non
do it now because Im very posso farlo adesso perch sono
busy now. molto occupato ora.
0:50 I can do it later if I have Posso farlo pi tardi se
the time. ho tempo.
1:14 to stay stare
1:18 I stay sto
1:25 Im busy. Sono occupato. / Sono occupata.
1:41 tired stanco
1:49 Im very tired now. Sono molto stanco adesso. /
Sono molto stanca adesso.

17
2:14 the house la casa
2:18 the thing la cosa
2:25 something qualcosa
2:30 at home / home a casa
2:37 tonight stasera
2:41 evening sera
2:50 Im tired. (masculine) Sono stanco.
2:56 And I am staying home tonight. E resto a casa stasera.
3:11 to stay stare / restare
3:26 Im tired (feminine) and I am Sono stanca e sto a casa stasera.
staying home tonight.
CD 1 Track 11
0:00 tomorrow domani
0:04 tomorrow evening domani sera
0:08 tomorrow morning domani mattina
0:14 tomorrow afternoon domani pomeriggio
0:25 The present tense in Italian is used very much because it is also
used to express the future.
1:00 I see you tomorrow. La vedo domani.
1:13 In English you have two ways to express the future: Im going
to see you tomorrow and I will / shall see you tomorrow.
In Italian you cannot use going to express the future.
1:39 to go andare
1:50 I go / I am going vado
2:01 you are going / he is going va
2:25 When you want to say Im going to call you tomorrow, in
Italian you say I call you tomorrow. There is a future tense, but
the present tense is used more frequently.
2:46 to call chiamare
2:51 I call chiamo
2:55 I call you la chiamo
3:09 I call you later. La chiamo pi tardi.
3:25 I call you tomorrow. La chiamo domani.
3:57 Im going to see it. (Im going Vado a vederlo.
out / Im on my way to see it.)
18
4:13 Im going to see it tomorrow. Lo vedo domani.
4:32 If a verb of coming and going is followed by another verb,
you use a: vado a vederlo. But vado is not used to express
the future tense.
5:06 Im going / Im on my Vado a comprarlo.
way to buy it.
5:41 I will buy it tomorrow. Lo compro domani.
6:14 Im buying it now. Lo compro adesso.
CD 1 Track 12
0:08 to stay stare
0:15 Im staying sto
0:20 Im staying home tonight. Sto a casa stasera.
0:31 Are you staying home tonight? Sta a casa stasera?
0:44 How long are you staying? Quanto tempo sta?
0:54 to leave partire
1:01 Im leaving tomorrow. Parto domani.
1:07 At what time are you leaving? A che ora parte domani?
1:34 Why dont you want to Perch non vuole partire
leave with me? con me?
1:53 Why cant you leave with me? Perch non pu partire con me?
2:18 to come venire
2:23 Why cant you come with Perch non pu venire con
me now? me adesso?
2:41 If a verb of coming and going is followed by another verb,
you use a. In English you would say Why cant you come (and)
see it with me?; in Italian you say Why cant you come to
(venire a) see it ...
3:20 Im going to eat. Vado a mangiare.
3:24 Hes going / youre going / Va a mangiare.
shes going to eat.
3:37 Why cant you come see it Perch non pu venire a vederlo
with me tonight? con me stasera?
4:09 I must devo
4:16 to have to dovere
4:21 you must deve
4:32 You must come with me. Deve venire con me.
19
4:35 When you have two or three consecutive verbs, the second and
the third are the full verb (infinitive).
5:05 You must speak Italian with me. Deve parlare italiano con me.
5:17 to wait aspettare
5:26 Everything with ct in English (expect) is tt in Italian (aspettare =
to wait). In English to wait for somebody becomes in Italian
to await somebody: aspettare qualcuno.
5:58 to expect me aspettarmi
6:11 to understand capire
6:22 to understand me capirmi
6:32 Whenever you add it or me or you to the infinitive, you drop
the e and you hook it onto the r.
6:46 Can you understand me? Pu capirmi?
6:54 Why cant you understand me? Perch non pu capirmi?
CD 1 Track 13
0:00 to say / to tell dire
0:14 I cannot say it in Italian. Non posso dirlo in italiano.
0:47 Can you tell me Pu dirmi
0:59 for me per me
1:02 with me con me
1:04 If you use me with a verb, its mi.
1:14 will you / do you want vuole / vuol
1:25 Will you tell me where it is? Vuole dirmi dov?
1:36 where dove
1:41 where it is dove / dov
1:54 Will you tell me ... Vuol dirmi ...
2:15 Its very important to sharpen awareness of your own language in
order to express yourself correctly in another language such as Italian.
For example, in English will is used to express the future, but not
always. If you start a sentence with will you (please), its a polite
request, not the future. So in Italian you use vuol or vuole, which
means will you and also do you want.
3:23 Can you tell me ... Pu dirmi ...
3:31 Can you tell me where it is? Pu dirmi dov?
3:41 to find trovare
20
3:53 Will you tell me where it is Vuol dirmi dov perch non
because I cannot find it? posso trovarlo?
4:27 I have ho
4:31 I have it. Lo ho. / Lho.
4:38 I dont have it. Non lho.
4:43 You have it. Lha.
4:47 Why dont you have it for Perch non lha per me adesso?
me now?
5:22 I want Voglio
5:26 I want it. Lo voglio.
5:36 I want it now. Lo voglio adesso.
5:40 I dont want it now. Non lo voglio adesso.
5:49 Why dont you want it now? Perch non lo vuole adesso?
6:10 to have avere
6:16 I have ho
6:18 you have ha
6:20 you have / he has / she has ha
6:28 to know sapere
6:32 sapere goes like avere: I have = ho, I know = so
6:44 I know so
6:52 I dont know non so
6:55 I know it. Lo so.
7:00 I dont know it. Non lo so.
7:07 You know it. Lo sa.
7:12 Why dont you know it? Perch non lo sa?
7:29 Do you know where it is? Sa dov?
8:02 Can you tell me how Pu dirmi quant ...
much it is ...
8:26 because I want to buy it. perch voglio comprarlo.
8:40 I must have it today if Devo averlo oggi se possibile.
it is possible.
21
CD 1 Track 14
0:00 Im staying home tonight Sto a casa stasera perch
because Im tired. sono stanco.
1:01 Im preparing it. Lo preparo.
1:08 Why dont you prepare Perch non lo prepara
it for me? per me?
1:46 the dinner la cena
1:56 to dine / to have dinner cenare
2:01 Will you have dinner with Vuole (Vuol) cenare con
me tonight? me stasera?
2:29 Where do you want to have Dove vuole cenare stasera?
dinner tonight?
2:50 I cannot speak with you Non posso parlare con lei
because Im eating. perch mangio.
3:06 I eat / I do eat / I am eating mangio
3:11 For Im eating you can also say sto mangiando meaning Im
in the process of eating. I am in the process is sto + -ando
for -are verbs, -endo for the others.
3:46 I am eating. Sto mangiando.
4:05 What are you preparing? Cosa prepara?
4:15 What are you (right now in Cosa sta preparando?
the process of) preparing?
4:43 You can use sto + per to say Im just about to.
4:57 Im just about to eat. Sto per mangiare.
5:03 Im just about to prepare it. Sto per prepararlo.
CD 1 Track 15
0:00 in order to per
0:37 Whenever to in English implies in order to, you will say per
in Italian.
0:50 I dont have the time Non ho il tempo / Non ho tempo
(in order) to do it. per farlo.
1:20 If you use a noun followed by an infinitive verb, after the noun
you usually put di.
1:40 I dont have the time of Non ho il tempo / Non ho tempo
doing it. di farlo.
22
2:08 to leave partire
2:15 I will leave tomorrow. Parto domani.
2:20 At what time do you leave? A che ora parte?
2:49 At what time do you leave A che ora parte la settimana
next week? prossima?
3:29 At what time are you leaving A che ora parte la settimana
next week? prossima?
3:51 There is a future tense in Italian. Its like saying to leave I have
5:36 (partire + ho) and to leave he has (partire + ha). The contraction
of the verb with ho, ha produces partir, partir. The endings
-r and -r are for all verbs.
4:05 I will leave tomorrow. Parto domani.
4:12 I will leave tomorrow. Partir domani.
4:27 He will leave tomorrow. Partir domani.
CD 1 Track 16
0:08 I will do far
0:13 I will do it. Lo far.
0:21 I wont do it. Non lo far.
0:31 You will do it. Lo far.
0:38 When will you do it? Quando lo far?
0:58 to say / to tell dire
1:09 I (will) call you tomorrow. La chiamo domani.
1:22 Im staying sto
1:27 Im staying here. Sto qui.
1:35 Im staying home tonight. Sto a casa stasera.
1:47 I will stay home tonight. Star a casa stasera.
1:58 How long are you staying Quanto tempo sta in Italia?
in Italy?
2:30 How long will you stay in Italy? Quanto tempo star in Italia?
3:07 I dont know. Non so.
3:13 still / yet ancora
3:32 I dont know yet. Ancora non so.
23
3:39 I dont know yet / I still dont Ancora non so quanto tempo
know how long I will stay star in Italia.
in Italy.
CD 1 Track 17
0:00 Im ready. (feminine) Sono pronta.
0:23 It is ready. pronto.
0:36 You must be ready soon. Deve essere / Devessere
pronto subito.
1:06 It can be ready soon. Pu essere pronto subito.
1:49 I am ready soon. Sono pronto subito.
1:53 I will be sar
2:15 he will be / you will be / sar
she will be
2:28 It will be ready soon. Sar pronto subito.
2:38 I dont know yet at what time Ancora non so a che ora
it will be ready but I must sar pronto ma devo averlo
have it today if it is possible. oggi se possibile.
3:50 to see vedere
4:00 to see it / to see him vederlo
4:09 to see her / to see you vederla
4:16 to see me vedermi
4:27 Im going to call you later. La chiamo pi tardi.
5:20 In the future tense of the -are verbs, use -er instead of -ar.
5:41 I will speak parler
5:55 I will eat manger
6:07 he will eat manger
6:22 In the future tense for we, use the ending -remo.
6:29 We will eat later. Mangeremo pi tardi.
6:44 We will stay home tonight. Staremo a casa stasera.
6:49 We will leave tomorrow. Partiremo domani.
CD 1 Track 18
0:00 For we in the present tense, use -iamo.
0:09 we speak parliamo
0:15 we are staying stiamo
24
0:20 we are leaving partiamo
0:32 we are going andiamo
0:37 -iamo is used a lot in Italian because it expresses different meanings.
0:50 Were going. Andiamo.
0:56 Were going now. Andiamo adesso. / Andiamo ora.
1:01 Were going to / were on Andiamo a comprarlo.
our way out to buy it.
1:20 Lets go! Andiamo!
1:27 Lets go eat. Andiamo a mangiare.
1:46 were eating mangiamo
1:54 Lets eat! Mangiamo!
2:04 to start / to commence cominciare
2:13 Im starting comincio
2:22 At what time are you starting? A che ora comincia?
2:39 At what time are you going A che ora comincer domani?
to start tomorrow?
3:12 Lets start. Cominciamo.
3:32 I want to know at what time Voglio sapere a che ora sar
it will be ready. pronto.
3:57 Im going vado
4:02 youre going / hes going / va
shes going / its going
4:13 Where are you going? Dove va?
4:21 Where are you going to Dove sar stasera?
be tonight?
CD 1 Track 19
0:00 good buono
0:10 It is very good. molto buono.
0:21 It is quite good. proprio buono.
0:29 It is quite possible. proprio possibile.
0:38 All words ending in -ent and in -ant in English end in -ente and
-ante in Italian.
0:53 It is very different that way. molto differente cos.
1:08 so (in front of an adjective) cos
25
1:16 It is not so different. Non cos differente.
1:27 It is so good. cos buono.
1:38 It is not so different that way. Non cos differente cos.
1:49 important importante
1:53 It is very important that way. molto importante cos.
2:06 I have to know it because its Devo saperlo perch molto
very important for me. importante per me.
2:45 I would like vorrei
2:57 I would like to know it. Vorrei saperlo.
3:21 I would like to go with you. Vorrei andare con lei.
3:35 there ci
3:35 ci is hooked onto the verb.
3:46 to go andare
3:47 to go there andarci
3:51 I would like to go there Vorrei andarci con lei.
with you.
4:11 I would like to go (and) see Vorrei andare a vederlo
it with you tonight. con lei stasera.
4:43 there is in the same position as the pronoun it or me:
you can hook it onto the verb.
CD 1 Track 20
0:10 I want to do it. Voglio farlo. / Lo voglio fare.
0:42 You have options with the pronouns (it, me, etc.): either put it
way up front or hook it onto the verb.
1:31 I cannot do it now. Non lo posso fare adesso. /
Non posso farlo adesso.
1:48 Why cant you tell me? Perch non mi pu dire?
2:50 It is not ready yet but it will Ancora non pronto, ma sar
be ready for you soon. pronto per lei subito.
4:01 I do / Im doing faccio
4:06 he is doing fa
4:12 Why dont you do it? Perch non lo fa?
4:24 Im doing it. Lo faccio.
4:34 I am (right now in the Lo sto facendo. / Sto facendolo.
process of) doing it.
26
5:08 Im just about to Sto per
5:16 Im just about to do it. Sto per farlo.
5:26 Im doing it. Lo faccio.
5:40 I say / I tell dico
5:53 you say / you tell dice
6:02 What are you saying? Cosa dice?
6:14 Why dont you tell me? Perch non mi dice?
CD 1 Track 21
0:22 I cannot understand it. Non posso capirlo.
0:31 Can you understand it? Pu capirlo?
0:38 Can you understand me? Pu capirmi?
0:47 Why cant you understand me? Perch non pu capirmi?
1:02 I understand capisco
1:20 I understand it. Lo capisco.
1:25 I dont understand it. Non lo capisco.
1:33 you understand capisce
1:42 Do you understand it? Lo capisce?
1:49 Do you understand me? Mi capisce?
1:58 Dont you understand me? Non mi capisce?
2:06 Why dont you understand me? Perch non mi capisce?
2:39 I dont understand it very well. Non lo capisco molto bene.
3:18 what (introducing a question) cosa / che cosa / che
3:34 what (in the middle of ci che / quel che
a sentence)
3:52 I dont know what you Non so ci che dice.
are saying.
4:38 I dont understand very well Non capisco molto bene ci
what youre saying. che dice.
4:57 Thats not what Im saying. Non ci che dico.
5:12 I dont understand what Non capisco ci che vuole dire /
you want to say. ci che vuol dire.
5:45 I dont understand what Non capisco ci che vuol dire.
you mean.
27
5:59 What do you mean? Cosa vuol dire?
6:12 You dont understand Non capisce ci che voglio
what I mean. dire.
CD 1 Track 22
0:08 I want voglio
0:15 I dont want it. Non lo voglio.
0:36 Italian words do not usually end in a consonant. There are only
a few words taken from other languages.
0:56 What do you want? Cosa vuole?
1:04 Do you want it? Lo vuole?
1:11 Dont you want it? Non lo vuole?
1:17 Why dont you want it? Perch non lo vuole?
1:27 I want it but not now. Lo voglio, ma non adesso.
2:15 Why dont you tell it to me? Perch non me lo dice?
2:40 When you get two pronouns together, for example me it, the
i of mi changes to an e: me lo. Think of e as if it were and,
a connecting word.
3:15 Im going to tell you later. Le dico pi tardi.
3:31 Im telling it. Lo dico.
3:36 Im telling you. Le dico.
3:40 If you implies to you it is le.
3:57 Im telling you. / Im going Le dico.
to tell you.
4:11 I will tell you. Le dir.
4:22 to tell dire
4:25 Im telling dico
4:28 youre telling / youre saying dice
4:37 I will tell dir
4:43 Remember that whenever you hear -r, -r, or -remo as an
ending, you are in the future tense (will).
28
5:21 I will understand capir
5:27 to speak parlare
5:37 For the future tense with -are verbs, the -ar changes to -er:
parlare, parler.
6:09 I will speak parler
6:17 to see vedere
6:26 I will see vedr
6:46 he will see vedr
7:22 we will see vedremo
7:25 you will see / he will see / vedr
she will see / it will see
7:35 I will see it. Lo vedr.
7:44 He wont see it. Non lo vedr.
7:55 We will see it. Lo vedremo.
8:09 I will see you later. La vedr pi tardi.
8:17 le means to you, but you is la.
8:55 He will not see me. Non mi vedr.
CD 1 Track 23
0:00 give dare
0:11 I give do
0:17 he gives d
0:22 He gives me something. Mi d qualcosa.
0:50 Why dont you give me Perch non mi d il libro?
the book?
1:14 Why dont you give it to Perch non me lo d adesso?
me now?
1:53 to carry / to bring portare
2:04 Im going to see you tonight La vedo stasera e le porter
and I will bring you the book. il libro.
3:27 The present tense is used also to express the future.
3:33 I (ll) see you and I (will) La vedo e le porto il libro
bring you the book tonight. stasera.
3:56 Whenever him means to him, use gli.
4:05 I will give him the book. Gli dar il libro.
4:29 Im going to tell him. Gli dico.
29
4:47 Im talking to him. Gli parlo.
5:02 I will tell him. Gli dir.
5:30 I want to tell him. Voglio dirgli.
5:52 When you have a second verb, it will be the full verb (dire)
and you hook on the pronoun (dirgli).
CD 1 Track 24
0:00 It is very important to sharpen the awareness of your own
language. I wont tell him is I will not tell him.
1:09 I will not tell him. Non gli dir.
(I wont tell him.)
1:18 Im not telling him. Non gli dico.
1:32 I dont tell him tomorrow. Non gli dico domani.
1:38 Non voglio gli dire is not correct because the pronoun should
either be hooked on at the end (Non voglio dirgli) or it should
come way up front (Non gli voglio dire).
2:31 There is a sharp distinction in English between I wont do it and
I dont want to do it.
2:43 I dont tell you because Non le dico perch non voglio
I dont want to tell you. dirle.
3:21 will expresses the future tense in English, except when you start
a sentence with will you, will you please, which is a polite way
of not using the imperative. This will you can also be expressed
by would you.
4:24 will you please / vuole
would you please
4:36 can you pu
4:41 After pu the second or third verb is always the full form of the
verb (the infinitive).
CD 1 Track 25
0:00 to tell dire
0:10 He will tell me. Mi dir.
0:27 He wont tell me. Non mi dir.
0:40 He doesnt want to tell me. Non vuol (vuole) dirmi. /
Non mi vuol (vuole) dire.
1:11 Will you please tell me? Vuole dirmi?
1:16 please per favore
30
1:50 Will you tell me (some time, Mi dir?
when you get round to it)?
2:27 will you please / vuole
would you please
2:34 Will you tell me? Vuol / Vuole dirmi?
2:44 Why dont you want to tell me? Perch non mi vuol dire?
3:05 I wont tell you. Non le dir.
3:18 I will tell you later. Le dir pi tardi.
3:32 I wont tell you now. Non le dico adesso.
(I will not tell you.)
4:00 For will / wont you use either the present tense or the future
with -r, -r, -remo.
4:20 Will you tell me? Vuole dirmi? / Vuol dirmi?
CD 1 Track 26
0:00 Im sorry but Mi dispiace, ma
0:12 it pleases me / I like mi piace
0:23 I like very much mi piace molto
0:29 I like very much to do it. Mi piace molto farlo.
0:39 But I dont like to do it now. Ma non mi piace farlo adesso.
1:05 I will do it later if I have Lo far pi tardi se ho
the time. il tempo.
1:50 I like mi piace
1:56 I like very much to speak Italian. Mi piace molto parlare italiano.
2:09 Do you like? Le piace?
(Does it please you?)
2:23 you like le piace
2:32 I dont like to stay here. Non mi piace stare qui.
2:43 Im sorry. Mi dispiace.
3:10 I like very much to do it. Mi piace molto farlo.
3:20 I want to do it. Voglio farlo.
4:26 I dont want to do it now. Non voglio farlo adesso.
31
CD 1 Track 27
1:01 I cannot do it now. Non posso farlo adesso. /
Non lo posso fare adesso.
1:46 I cannot tell you where it is Non le posso dire dov perch
because I dont know it. non lo so.
3:36 I want to tell you something. Voglio dirle qualcosa.
4:52 it pleases me mi piace
4:59 you like (it pleases you) le piace
5:10 Does it displease you? Le dispiace?
5:30 Doesnt it displease you? Non le dispiace?
5:54 if you dont mind to tell me non le dispiace dirmi /
vuole (vuol) dirmi
CD 1 Track 28
0:00 What do you want to say? Cosa vuol dire? / Cosa vuole dire?
0:28 The combination of want and to say in Italian expresses to mean.
0:39 What do you mean? / Cosa vuol dire?
What does he mean? /
What does she mean? /
What does it mean?
0:52 to explain spiegare
1:14 Will you please explain to me? Vuol spiegarmi?
1:42 Will you explain it to me? Me lo vuol spiegare? /
Vuol spiegarmelo?
2:57 If there are one or two pronouns, either you put them up
front or you hook both onto the end of the verb.
4:55 Why cant you explain it to me? Perch non pu spiegarmelo?
5:23 Why dont you want to Perch non vuol /
explain it to me? Perch non vuole spiegarmelo?
CD 1 Track 29
0:00 I dont know what it means. Non so ci che vuol dire.
1:00 Words with ct in English usually have tt in Italian.
32
1:12 Will you please wait for me? Vuol (Vuole) aspettarmi?
1:41 to do fare
1:43 Will you do it, please? Vuol (Vuole) farlo?
2:13 Can you do it for me? Pu farlo per me?
2:32 Will you wait for me? Vuol (Vuole) aspettarmi?
2:38 Can you wait for me, please? Pu aspettarmi, per favore?
CD 1 Track 30
0:00 there is c
0:07 is
0:14 I want to know where there Voglio sapere dove c un
is a good restaurant near here. buon ristorante qui vicino.
1:11 It is not far. Non lontano.
1:13 far lontano / distante
1:52 You can walk. Pu andare a piedi.
2:05 walk andar a piedi
2:14 on foot a piedi
2:32 Will you tell me where it is Vuol / Pu dirmi dov ... non
because I cannot find it. posso trovarlo / non lo posso trovare.
4:36 I cannot see it. Non posso vederlo. /
Non lo posso vedere.
4:53 I dont want to see it. Non lo voglio vedere. /
Non voglio vederlo.
CD 1 Track 31
0:08 It is not possible that way. Non possibile cos.
0:23 Im sorry but it is not Mi dispiace, ma non
acceptable for me that way. accettabile per me cos.
1:00 Words ending in -ent and -ant in English end in -ente and
-ante in Italian.
1:08 It is not very different that way. Non molto differente cos.
1:22 But it is very important for me. Ma molto importante per me.
1:40 It is very urgent. molto urgente.
1:55 sure sicuro
1:57 certain certo
33
2:00 certainly certamente
2:09 Im quite sure. Sono proprio sicuro / certo.
2:34 evident evidente
2:44 Words ending in -ary in English end in -ario in Italian.
2:54 necessary necessario
2:59 It is not necessary for me now. Non necessario per me adesso.
3:16 contrary contrario
3:21 on the contrary al contrario
3:32 On the contrary, I do want Al contrario, voglio comprarlo.
to buy it.
3:51 vocabulary vocabolario
3:57 Words ending in -ence and -ance in English end in -enza and
-anza in Italian.
4:05 difference differenza
4:34 the difference la differenza
4:35 The word for the with all the -za words is la.
4:45 a difference una differenza
4:53 What difference? / Che / Quale differenza?
Which difference?
5:06 importance importanza
CD 1 Track 32
0:03 there is c
0:17 there, us, ourselves ci
0:31 There is a difference. C una differenza.
0:39 The ending -em in English is -ma in Italian (for example,
problem problema). the with most of these words is il.
0:42 problem problema
0:55 a problem un problema
0:58 There is a problem. C un problema.
1:06 system sistema
1:12 Most words ending in -ion in English end in -ione in Italian.
In Italian you dont have a consonant at the end of a word.
All -ione words are la words.
1:20 condition condizione
34
1:46 the condition la condizione
1:52 position posizione
1:59 (the) situation la situazione
2:08 reservation prenotazione
2:29 to reserve / to book / prenotare
to prebook
2:45 I will make a reservation Far una prenotazione per lei.
for you.
3:17 Will you please make a Vuol fare una prenotazione
reservation for me? per me?
3:47 Would you please make a Vuol fare una prenotazione
reservation for me? per me, per favore?
CD 1 Track 33
0:00 confirmation (la) conferma
0:18 Do you have the confirmation Ha la conferma della
of the reservation for me for prenotazione per me
tonight? (per) stasera?
1:39 what kind of che tipo di
1:57 What kind of reservation do Che tipo di prenotazione ha
you have for me for tonight? per me per stasera?
3:01 vacation (la) vacanza
3:11 the vacations le vacanze
3:19 to spend (time) passare
3:24 to pass passare
3:39 to spend the time passare il tempo
3:44 to spend the vacation passare le vacanze
3:57 Where are you going to Dove passer le vacanze? /
spend the vacation? Dove passa le vacanze?
5:18 tonight stasera
5:23 evening sera
5:26 tomorrow evening domani sera
5:35 morning mattina
5:41 tomorrow morning domani mattina
5:48 afternoon pomeriggio
5:55 tomorrow afternoon domani pomeriggio
35
CD 2 Track 1
0:00 evening sera
0:07 the whole evening la serata
0:26 Im going to spend the Passer la serata.
whole evening.
0:42 Im going to spend a Passer una serata musicale.
musical evening.
1:01 this evening stasera
1:23 morning mattina
1:34 (to spend) the whole morning la mattinata
1:49 day giorno
1:55 (to spend) the whole day la giornata
2:02 I like very much to spend Mi piace molto passare
the whole day here. la giornata qui.
2:50 Words ending in -ical in English end in -ico in Italian.
2:54 political politico
2:59 economical economico
3:03 logical logico
3:07 practical pratico
3:14 It is not logical but it is Non logico ma molto
very practical that way. pratico cos.
3:39 philosophical filosofico
3:44 astronomical astronomico
3:49 astrological astrologico
3:59 the political situation la situazione politica
4:36 the economical situation la situazione economica
4:50 What impression do you have Qual impressione ha della
of the political and economical situazione politica e economica
situation in Italy right now? in Italia adesso?
5:29 I dont like the political Non mi piace la situazione
situation. politica.
36
CD 2 Track 2
0:00 Verbs derived from nouns that are similar in English and Italian
will also be similar. Usually, you just add -are.
0:25 preparation preparazione
0:49 Im very busy now. Sono molto occupata adesso. /
Sono molto occupato adesso.
2:32 Im right now in the process Sto preparandolo. /
of preparing it. Lo sto preparando.
2:56 With -ando and -endo you either hook on the pronouns or
you can put them way up front.
3:23 I will prepare it. Lo preparer.
6:11 He will prepare it for me. Lo preparer per me.
6:21 When will you prepare it Quando lo preparer per me?
for me?
6:39 When do you prepare it Quando lo prepara per me?
for me?
7:27 In the present tense you do not hit the ending (preparo).
The I form ends in -o for all verbs; the you/he/she/it forms
end in -a (-are verbs) or in -e (all other verbs).
7:53 Youre preparing it. Lo prepara.
8:39 Why dont you prepare it Perch non lo prepara
for me? per me?
8:57 I will prepare it. Lo preparer.
9:16 Would you please prepare Vuole prepararlo per me?
it for me?
10:11 Would you do it for me? Vuol farlo per me?
10:20 Whenever you have the infinitive (the whole verb ending in
-are, -ere, -ire), you hook on any pronoun (me, you, etc.) or
you put it way up front.
CD 2 Track 3
0:00 to do fare
0:05 to do it farlo
0:09 to tell dire
37
0:14 to tell it / to say it dirlo
0:18 to tell me dirmi
0:40 to tell it to me dirmelo
1:06 Can you tell it to me? Pu dirmelo?
1:12 Will you tell it to me? Vuol dirmelo?
1:20 I will see you tonight and La vedr stasera e le dir.
I will tell you.
3:15 perhaps forse
3:53 He will tell you. Le dir.
4:05 We will tell you. Le diremo.
5:08 He doesnt tell me. Non mi dice.
5:30 He wont find it. Non lo trover.
CD 2 Track 4
0:00 to be able potere
0:09 In English we have a little problem: for the verb can the infinitive
is to be able to. For the verb must the infinitive is to have to.
Italian doesnt have this problem.
1:01 to have avere
1:10 I have to devo
1:20 you have to deve
1:33 You have to do it. Deve farlo.
1:45 You have to tell me. Deve dirmi.
2:08 I will have avr
2:20 For some verbs you contract the future endings: vedere vedr,
avere avr
2:40 he will have avr
2:55 we will have avremo
3:11 I will have to dovr
3:32 I will have to do it. Dovr farlo. / Lo dovr fare.
4:01 You will have to wait for me. Dovr aspettarmi.
4:57 I can do it. Posso farlo.
38
5:02 Can you do it? Pu farlo?
CD 2 Track 5
0:00 we can possiamo
0:04 We cannot do it. Non possiamo farlo. /
Non lo possiamo fare.
0:57 I will be able potr
1:09 I will be able to do it for you. Potr farlo per lei.
1:25 But I wont be able to Ma non potr farlo oggi.
do it today.
1:54 because I will be very busy perch sar molto occupata
(feminine)
2:18 I will be very busy (masculine) Sar molto occupato oggi.
today.
2:36 When will you be able to do it? Quando potr farlo?
3:02 We will be able to leave with Potremo partire con lei domani.
you tomorrow.
3:35 It is very important not to do anything by sound or by ear.
Its a thought process.
CD 2 Track 6
0:06 You can guess vocabulary. You have developed enough sense
of the language to know which words in English come from a
romance language and which are Germanic/Anglo-Saxon.
0:45 to arrive arrivare
0:59 to phone, to telephone telefonare
1:07 At what time will you arrive A che ora arriver domani
tomorrow morning? mattina?
2:03 We wont do it. Non lo faremo.
2:15 You wont do it. Non lo far.
2:27 I wont do it because I wont Non lo far perch non
be able to do it. potr farlo.
3:13 I want to do it. Voglio farlo.
39
3:38 I want / I wish / I really want desidero
3:57 I do want to have it. Desidero averlo.
4:07 What would you like? / Cosa desidera? (at the restaurant)
What do you want?
4:23 to have (food or drinks) / prendere
to take (intake of food or drinks)
4:52 What would you like to have Cosa prende?
(to eat / to drink)? /
What are you having?
5:08 What do you want? / Cosa vuol prendere? /
What would you like to have? Cosa desidera?
CD 2 Track 7
0:00 I want voglio
0:06 I would like vorrei (io vorrei)
0:57 I would wish / I would want vorrei
1:00 The -rei ending means would. The same r that you hit for will
you hit for would, but instead of -r you make it -rei.
1:39 I will buy it. Lo comprer.
3:01 I would buy it. Lo comprerei.
3:21 I will do it. Lo far.
3:38 I would do it. Lo farei.
3:59 I will speak with him. Parler con lui.
4:18 I will talk to him. Gli parler.
5:32 I wouldnt speak to him. Non gli parlerei.
5:49 I wouldnt speak with him. Non parlerei con lui.
CD 2 Track 8
0:10 Important verbs are the modal auxiliaries which are followed
by the infinitives of other verbs. We can call them handles.
1:02 I cannot do it now. Non posso farlo adesso.
1:25 I understand capisco
1:29 you understand capisce
1:36 I understand it. Lo capisco.
40
1:49 I dont understand it. Non lo capisco.
1:58 I understand you. La capisco.
2:09 I understand her. La capisco.
2:17 I dont understand you. Non la capisco.
2:32 I cannot understand you. Non la posso capire. /
Non posso capirla.
3:26 to find trovare
3:38 to look for / to seek cercare
3:46 Im looking for it, but Lo cerco, ma
I dont find it. non lo trovo.
4:13 Im right now in the process Lo sto cercando.
of seeking it / looking for it.
CD 2 Track 9
0:25 I must look for it. Devo cercarlo.
0:34 devo is a handle.
0:45 But I cannot find it. Ma non posso trovarlo.
1:49 Please, (will you) tell me Vuol (Vuole) dirmi dov.
where it is.
2:10 vuol is a very important handle.
2:26 I would like to see it. Vorrei vederlo.
2:55 I will see it. Lo vedr.
3:17 He will see it. / You will see it. Lo vedr.
3:27 We will see it. Lo vedremo.
3:41 I would see it. Lo vedrei.
3:55 But I wouldnt do it. Ma non lo farei.
4:11 I will be here. Sar qui.
4:24 I would be here. Sarei qui.
CD 2 Track 10
0:00 For he would, she would, it would, you would the ending is
-rebbe; for I would the ending is -rei. will is -r and -r; would
is -rei and -rebbe.
41
0:36 I would like vorrei
0:41 you would like / he would
like / she would like vorrebbe
0:47 Would you like to do it? Vorrebbe farlo?
1:04 Would you like to see it? Vorrebbe vederlo?
1:13 When would you like to Quando vorrebbe andarci?
go there?
1:25 to go there andarci
1:53 He wouldnt buy it. Non lo comprerebbe.
2:13 I would speak with him. Parlerei con lui.
2:43 I would talk to him. Gli parlerei.
3:43 I wouldnt see it. Non lo vedrei.
3:50 He wouldnt see it. Non lo vedrebbe.
4:06 It will be very important. Sar molto importante.
4:31 It would be very important. Sarebbe molto importante.
4:48 But it wouldnt be possible Ma non sarebbe possibile cos.
that way.
CD 2 Track 11
0:13 I will be able potr
0:20 I will be able to do it. Potr farlo.
0:39 I wont be able to do it Non potr farlo cos.
that way.
0:55 He wont be able to do it Non potr farlo cos.
like that.
1:11 We wont be able to do it. Non potremo farlo.
1:32 For we would double the m of we will (-remo) and make
it -remmo.
2:03 We would be able to do it. Potremmo farlo.
2:16 We wouldnt be able to do Non potremmo farlo cos.
it that way.
2:25 We wont be able to do it Non potremo farlo cos.
that way.
3:08 I will be able to come Potr venire con lei.
with you.
42
3:33 But I wont be able to come Ma non potr venire con
with you today because lei oggi perch sar molto
I will be very busy. occupato.
4:22 I wouldnt be able to come Non potrei venire con lei.
with you.
4:42 Would you be able to tell Potrebbe dirmi quando
me when you will be able to potr farlo?
do it?
5:50 There is a problem in English with could: in the sentence
8:10 could you tell me it means would you be able to; but in the
sentence he told me he couldnt do it it means he wasnt able to.
So could expresses two different tenses in English: would be
able or was able
CD 2 Track 12
0:05 could (would be able) potrei
0:26 you could / you would be
able / he would be able potrebbe
0:39 could (past tense in English) potevo
0:55 an easy tense: -avo, -evo, -ivo
1:20 he was able / he could poteva
1:41 Whenever you want to say could in Italian, you have to know
2:48 which tense youre trying to use: is it potrei, potrebbe or is it
potevo, poteva? In general use potrei, potrebbe, potremmo
for could unless it clearly expresses the past, in which case you
use potevo, poteva.
2:53 I couldnt find it. Non potevo trovarlo.
3:22 I couldnt tell you. Non potrei dirle.
3:52 Could you tell me? Potrebbe dirmi?
4:19 Can you tell me? Pu dirmi?
4:38 Could you tell me where it is? Potrebbe dirmi dov?
4:47 I dont understand you. Non la capisco.
5:00 I cannot understand you. Non posso capirla.
5:43 I couldnt understand you. Non potevo capirla.
CD 2 Track 13
0:05 I must devo
0:09 you must deve
43
0:53 You have to wait for me. Deve aspettarmi.
1:07 Can you wait for me? Pu aspettarmi?
1:20 Could you wait for me? Potrebbe aspettarmi?
1:33 Im sorry, but I cannot wait Mi dispiace, ma non posso
for you now because Im aspettarla adesso, perch partir /
going to leave soon. parto subito / presto.
3:10 I have to leave soon. Devo partire subito.
3:30 I will have to leave tomorrow. Dovr partire domani.
4:04 At what time will you have A che ora dovr partire?
to leave?
4:22 We will have to leave. Dovremo partire.
4:33 We would have to leave. Dovremmo partire.
4:46 I will have to leave. Dovr partire.
4:59 I would have to leave. Dovrei partire.
5:07 I will be able to leave. Potr partire.
5:17 I would be able to leave. Potrei partire.
5:23 I could leave tomorrow. Potrei partire domani.
6:17 I will have to leave tomorrow. Dovr partire domani.
6:26 I would have to leave tomorrow. Dovrei partire domani.
6:34 He would have to leave. Dovrebbe partire.
CD 2 Track 14
0:00 I would be able to do it. Potrei farlo.
0:15 I could do it for you tomorrow. Potrei farlo per lei domani.
1:02 I couldnt do it that way. Non potrei farlo cos.
1:23 Could you do it? Potrebbe farlo?
1:34 yesterday ieri
1:37 I couldnt do it yesterday. Non potevo farlo ieri.
2:05 I could do it now. Potrei farlo adesso.
2:45 must and to have to
3:05 I must devo
3:08 you must deve
3:23 I must / I have to / devo
Im supposed to
3:42 I have to do it. Devo farlo.
44
3:50 Im supposed to leave Devo partire oggi, ma non posso.
today but I cannot.
4:14 I owe devo
4:31 How much do I owe? Quanto devo?
5:00 I will have to do it. Dovr farlo.
5:17 At what time will you A che ora dovr partire?
have to leave?
5:41 I would have to do it. Dovrei farlo.
5:50 You would have to do it. Dovrebbe farlo.
5:58 We would have to do it. Dovremmo farlo.
6:07 We will have to do it. Dovremo farlo.
6:19 I would have to buy it. Dovrei comprarlo.
6:40 dovrei, dovrebbe, dovremmo (would have to) is used in the
sense of should or ought to.
7:04 I should buy it. Dovrei comprarlo.
7:17 You should tell me. Dovrebbe dirmi.
7:33 You have to tell me. Deve dirmi.
8:02 Could you tell me? Potrebbe dirmi?
8:19 Will you tell me, please? / Vuol (Vuole) dirmi?
Would you tell me?
CD 2 Track 15
0:24 Would you like to see it? Vorrebbe vederlo?
0:44 I like to see it. Mi piace vederlo.
0:59 It would please me to see it. Mi piacerebbe vederlo.
CD 2 Track 16
0:00 Words ending in -ty in English will end in -t in Italian.
0:11 university universit
0:18 the university luniversit
0:23 the opportunity lopportunit
0:43 the occasion loccasione
1:04 Words ending in -al in English will end in -ale in Italian.
45
1:11 normal normale
1:15 normally normalmente
1:23 general generale
1:25 generally generalmente
1:34 special speciale
1:43 specially for you specialmente per lei
1:56 the speciality of the house la specialit della casa
2:13 If a noun is followed by a verb (in the infinitive), you will throw
in di (of). You also do that after many verbs of communication.
2:57 I dont have the time to Non ho (il) tempo di
do it now. farlo adesso.
3:40 It is not possible to do it now. Non possibile farlo adesso.
4:06 I would like to have the Vorrei avere loccasione di
opportunity to see it the vederlo la prossima volta.
next time.
4:34 time (the passing of time) tempo
4:51 time (sequence of times) volta
5:22 the next time la prossima volta
CD 2 Track 17
0:00 once una volta
0:09 twice due volte
0:24 I will be able to do it next time. Potr farlo la prossima volta.
0:47 I could do it. Potrei farlo.
0:56 But I couldnt do it yesterday. Ma non potevo farlo ieri.
1:28 Another handle is want: voglio, vuole, vorrei, vorrebbe
2:00 I do want to eat. Desidero mangiare.
2:45 I wish very much / Desidero vederlo.
I desire to see it.
3:13 I like to see it. Mi piace vederlo.
3:19 I would like to see it. Mi piacerebbe vederlo.
3:55 I would very much like to see it. Mi piacerebbe molto vederlo.
46
CD 2 Track 18
0:21 according to me / as far as
I am concerned secondo me
0:41 according to you secondo lei
0:47 to think pensare
0:55 I think penso
0:59 I dont think non penso
1:04 What do you think? Cosa pensa?
1:20 We dont think. Non pensiamo.
1:38 thinking forward, planning pensare
1:47 I plan to leave. / Penso di partire.
I plan on leaving.
1:58 How long do you plan Quanto tempo pensa
on staying? di stare?
2:12 to hope sperare
2:21 I hope spero
2:41 I expect to leave (soon). Spero di partire (subito).
2:52 At what time do you expect A che ora spera di arrivare?
to arrive?
3:51 I want to stay here. Desidero stare qui. / Voglio stare qui.
4:12 I would like to stay here. Vorrei stare qui.
4:18 It would please me to Mi piacerebbe stare qui.
stay here.
CD 2 Track 19
0:35 From voglio you can make a noun la voglia.
0:52 I dont feel like staying here. Non ho la voglia di stare qui.
1:19 need bisogno
1:31 I need / I have need ho bisogno
1:39 I need to do it. Ho bisogno di farlo.
2:17 You must do it. / Deve farlo.
You have to do it.
2:47 You dont have to do it does not mean you must not do it
4:05 but you dont need to do it.
47
4:27 You dont have to do it. / Non ha bisogno di farlo.
You dont need to do it. /
You dont have need of doing it.
4:40 You dont have to tell me Non ha bisogno di dirmi
now because I dont want to adesso perch non voglio
know it. saperlo.
CD 2 Track 20
0:13 I could (past) potevo
0:24 I couldnt find it (yesterday). Non potevo trovarlo.
0:50 I will have to dovr
0:57 I will have to buy it. Dovr comprarlo.
1:57 I had to dovevo
2:05 I had to do it. Dovevo farlo.
2:13 He had to wait. / He was Doveva aspettare.
supposed to wait.
2:31 I had to do it. Dovevo farlo.
2:39 He had to do it. Doveva farlo.
2:49 I wanted to do it. Volevo farlo.
3:21 I didnt want to buy it. Non volevo comprarlo.
3:33 I didnt want to tell him. Non volevo dirgli.
4:09 I didnt want to tell you. Non volevo dirle.
4:42 I had avevo
5:53 I didnt have the time to do it. Non avevo tempo (il tempo) di farlo.
CD 2 Track 21
0:00 I was ero
0:15 I was here yesterday evening. Ero qui ieri sera.
0:33 (but) it was not ready. (ma) non era pronto.
0:58 Everything was ready for Tutto era pronto per lei
you this morning. stamattina.
1:35 Im sorry but I couldnt do Mi dispiace, ma non potevo
it yesterday. farlo ieri.
2:52 because I was very busy perch ero molto occupato
3:29 all day long tutta la giornata
3:35 I wanted to go there with Volevo andarci con lei ieri.
you yesterday.
48
4:12 I couldnt do it. Non potevo farlo.
4:38 I was very busy. Ero molto occupato.
4:50 She was busy. Era occupata.
CD 2 Track 22
0:25 occupied occupato
0:31 to occupy occupare
0:47 I have occupied the house. Ho occupato la casa.
1:09 We have two past tenses in English and in Italian: I did something
3:09 and I was doing it. -evo and -avo (dovevo, potevo, volevo)
express a straight line in the past (I was doing it, I was eating).
However I ate and I did are specific points in the past. In Italian
you will say Ive eaten, Ive done it. For didnt you will use
havent (ho, non ho).
3:10 There is a difference between English and Italian in the use of the
4:23 past. In Italian you have to dive into the past, stepping on a
diving board. The diving board is any form of have: I ate
= Ive eaten, I didnt eat = I have not eaten, Did you eat?
= Have you eaten?
4:24 So in Italian have is the diving board. Then you have to know
4:48 how to dive. With -are verbs you use -ato: occupare occupato,
mangiare mangiato
4:50 I spoke with you. Ho parlato con lei.
5:04 I bought (something) for you. Ho comprato (qualcosa) per lei.
5:29 I didnt buy the car. Non ho comprato la macchina.
CD 2 Track 23
0:00 capire becomes capito.
0:04 I didnt understand. Non ho capito.
0:10 dire becomes detto and fare becomes fatto.
0:23 I did it. Lo ho fatto.
0:33 I didnt do it. Non lo ho fatto.
0:39 He told me. Mi ha detto.
1:02 Why didnt you tell me? Perch non mi ha detto?
1:11 I waited for you. La ho aspettato.
1:41 Why didnt you wait for me? Perch non mi ha aspettato?
1:58 I told him to wait for me. Gli ho detto di aspettarmi.
49
2:17 There are two diving towers for the past: to have and to be.
4:28 After these verbs you have to dive into -ato, -ito etc. There are
some verbs in Italian where for the past tense you will use to be
(like in Shakespeare or the King James Bible I am come to tell
you Where art thou gone?, or in modern English The time is
come He is gone).
4:30 I went sono andato
4:36 I stayed sono stato
4:42 we are siamo
4:48 we arrived siamo arrivati / arrivate
5:23 I left sono partito / partita
5:52 she left partita
CD 2 Track 24
0:00 to amuse divertire
0:11 to amuse oneself / to have fun divertirsi
0:18 Im having fun mi diverto
0:38 to amuse myself divertirmi
0:47 I want to have fun. Voglio divertirmi.
0:51 I have to have fun. Devo divertirmi.
1:06 me / to me / myself mi
1:51 I will have fun mi divertir
2:22 I would have fun / mi divertirei
I would amuse myself
2:33 It would be very interesting Sarebbe molto interessante
3:11 and I think (according to me) e secondo me
3:24 I would have a lot of fun mi divertirei
3:57 himself / herself / itself / si
themselves / yourself
4:06 You would have a lot of fun. / Si divertirebbe.
You would amuse yourself.
4:44 ourselves / us ci
4:58 We would enjoy ourselves. Ci divertiremmo.
5:26 We will have a lot of fun. Ci divertiremo.
5:59 According to me, we would Secondo me, ci divertiremmo.
have a lot of fun.
50
CD 2 Track 25
0:00 I see you. La vedo.
0:15 I dont see you. Non la vedo.
0:21 I cannot see you. Non posso vederla.
0:43 I couldnt see you tonight. Non potrei vederla stasera.
1:10 It wouldnt be possible for me. Non sarebbe possibile per me.
CD 2 Track 26
0:00 we see vediamo
0:11 We see it. Lo vediamo.
0:19 We dont see it. Non lo vediamo.
0:25 We cannot see it. Non possiamo vederlo.
1:07 We cannot see ourselves. Non possiamo vederci.
1:40 We see ourselves. Ci vediamo.
2:55 We cannot see ourselves here. Non possiamo vederci qui.
CD 2 Track 27
0:00 The reflexive ourselves also expresses each other.
0:25 We see ourselves. / Ci vediamo.
We see each other.
0:52 At what time shall we A che ora ci vedremo domani?
meet tomorrow?
2:35 we will meet ci vedremo
3:52 See you tomorrow. A domani.
4:25 At what time shall we A che ora ci vediamo domani?
meet tomorrow?
4:40 There is not the simplest sentence in a language that cannot
10:30 be expressed in a dozen different ways: Im leaving for Paris
tomorrow. Im going to Paris tomorrow. Im going to leave,
I will leave, I have to leave, I must leave, I want to leave,
I intend to leave, I plan on leaving, I expect to leave, OR
without leave: I expect to go to Paris tomorrow, I expect to be
in Paris. The important thing is to be able to communicate and
not to get stuck on a word.
If it is a question of vocabulary, it doesnt hurt to guess. If it is a
question of structure, you have to think it out. If you guess a
51
word, youll get feedback: either a correct version of the word or
a blank look if you have not been understood and then you know
youve got to try something else. This is how you communicate:
slow down to think out the structure and try to guess vocabulary.
CD 2 Track 28
0:08 Im thinking penso
0:17 Im busy. (masculine) Sono occupato.
0:24 Im tired. (feminine) Sono stanca.
0:31 Im eating. mangio
0:51 Why dont you want to eat? Perch non vuol mangiare?
1:01 In the present tense, there is no -ing form (mangio). However
for a past -ing form (I was eating, I was doing, etc.), use the
-vo ending: -avo, -evo, -ivo
1:28 I was eating mangiavo
1:34 he was eating mangiava
1:41 I will eat manger
1:55 I wouldnt eat it. Non lo mangerei.
2:30 He wouldnt eat it. Non lo mangerebbe.
2:42 He wouldnt do it. Non lo farebbe.
3:01 He wouldnt tell me. Non mi direbbe.
3:15 Im waiting aspetto
3:28 Im waiting for you. La aspetto.
4:02 Why dont you wait for me? Perch non mi aspetta?
4:14 I will wait for you here. La aspetter qui.
4:38 I was waiting aspettavo
4:54 He was waiting for me. Mi aspettava.
5:17 to work lavorare
5:27 Im working lavoro
5:33 I was working lavoravo
5:46 I worked / I have worked ho lavorato
6:20 he waited ha aspettato
6:30 he was waiting aspettava
52
CD 2 Track 29
0:00 There are two types of -ing tense in English: the present -ing
1:39 (am / are / is + -ing) and the past -ing (was / were + -ing).
We can call the latter a w-ing tense (w being the initial letter of
was and were), or in grammatical terms, the imperfect.
1:40 In Italian this w-ing tense, the imperfect, expresses either a
3:45 straight line in the past I was doing it or a broken line in the
past he used to do it or I did it every day / very often. In English
you dont make the distinction between he worked here
yesterday and he worked here every day: it is worked in
both cases. In Italian it is the same tense (the imperfect).
3:50 There is another -ing tense in English: Ive been working here
4:55 now for two hours. This have been + -ing means Im still doing it,
so in Italian you will use the present tense (lo faccio). So lo faccio
means I do it, I am doing it, I have been doing it.
For example: Lo faccio da due ore. (Ive been doing it for two hours.)
5:02 Ive been working here. Lavoro qui.
5:26 Ive been waiting for you. La aspetto.
5:45 So la aspetto is Im waiting for you and Ive been waiting
5:50 for you.
CD 2 Track 30
0:16 I waited / Ive waited ho aspettato
0:21 Why didnt you wait? Perch non ha aspettato?
0:36 Im going to buy it. / Lo comprer.
I will buy it.
1:27 Im going to buy it tomorrow. Lo compro domani.
2:16 Im going now / Im on my Vado a comprarlo.
way to buy it.
2:37 If there is another verb after a verb of coming and going,
you join it up with a: vado a
3:16 Im going to see it (tonight). Vado a vederlo.
3:36 to go andare
3:39 Im going vado
3:42 youre going / hes going / va
shes going
3:51 Its going well. / Its all right. Va bene.
4:06 Its going well that way. Va bene cos.
53
4:11 Everything is going well. Tutto va bene.
4:15 Its going very well. Va molto bene.
CD 2 Track 31
0:07 It doesnt work. / It is Non funziona.
not functioning.
0:59 to fix (the car, something) riparare
1:23 Can you fix it? Pu ripararlo?
1:54 In Italian to have something done or to get something done
is to make somebody do it, to make do.
2:34 I must have it repaired. Devo farlo riparare.
3:04 to change cambiare
3:24 to wash lavare
3:27 Im going to get it washed. Lo far lavare.
4:00 Now I can make myself Adesso posso farmi capire
understood in Italian. in italiano.
4:32 He made a reservation for us. Ha fatto una prenotazione per noi.
CD 2 Track 32
0:00 You didnt tell me. Non mi ha detto.
0:43 It is done. fatto.
1:04 He prepared the dinner. Ha preparato la cena.
1:24 Everything is prepared for you. Tutto preparato per lei.
1:44 they all tutti
1:46 they all is tutti or tutte. everything is tutto. tutte is the
feminine plural form, such as in Cos fan tutte where tutte
refers to all women.
2:43 Im busy. Sono occupato. / Sono occupata.
2:50 sono means I am and it also means they are.
3:26 They are busy. Sono occupati.
3:40 Everybody is busy. Tutti sono occupati.
4:20 You can have it. Lo pu avere. / Pu averlo.
5:32 I want voglio
54
6:16 Will you tell me? Vuol dirmi?
7:47 Why dont you want to buy it? Perch non vuole comprarlo? /
Perch non lo vuole comprare?
8:42 You can have it if you want it. Pu averlo se lo vuole.
CD 2 Track 33
0:00 to go out uscire
0:19 I go out esco
0:23 youre going out esce
0:35 I dont want to do it. Non voglio farlo.
1:06 I feel like ho voglia
1:13 I feel like doing it. Ho voglia di farlo.
2:03 I dont feel like non ho voglia
2:32 I dont want to stay Non voglio restare a casa stasera. /
home tonight. Non voglio stare a casa stasera.
3:36 I feel like going out. Ho voglia di uscire.
4:01 I dont want to do it now. Non voglio farlo adesso. /
Non lo voglio fare adesso.
4:49 I dont feel like doing it now. Non ho voglia di farlo adesso.
CD 2 Track 34
0:04 Im right now about to do it. Sto per farlo.
0:20 Im just about to eat. Sto per mangiare.
0:28 Im just about to prepare it. Sto per prepararlo.
1:00 I was about Stavo per
1:13 I was about to prepare it Stavo per prepararlo quando
when you called. ha chiamato.
2:06 I plan on leaving. Penso di partire.
2:36 When do you plan on leaving? Quando pensa di partire?
2:48 How long do you plan on Quanto tempo pensa di restare /
staying in Italy? di stare in Italia?
55
3:22 I intend to do it. Penso di farlo.
Lo far.
Voglio farlo.
Ho voglia di farlo.
Ho lintenzione di farlo.
6:00 I dont intend to do it now. Non ho lintenzione di farlo adesso.
CD 2 Track 35
0:07 I need to do it. (I have Ho bisogno di farlo.
need of doing it.)
0:21 ne in Italian means of it / from it / some of it / any of it.
1:05 ne goes in the same positions as all pronouns.
0:34 of it / from it / some of it ne
1:16 You want it. Lo vuole.
1:42 I want some (of it). Ne voglio.
1:54 I want to buy some (of it). Voglio comprarne.
2:16 because I want to have it perch voglio averlo
2:28 I want to have some (of it). Voglio averne.
2:45 Im going to buy some. Vado a comprarne.
3:04 because I must have some perch devo averne
3:20 I need ho bisogno
3:35 I need it. Ne ho bisogno.
4:54 I dont need it now. Non ne ho bisogno adesso.
5:06 You can have it. Pu averlo.
5:15 You can have some if Pu averne se vuole.
you want.
CD 2 Track 36
0:00 I bought some for you. Ne ho comprato per lei.
0:35 I didnt buy any (of it) Non ne ho comprato perch
because I didnt find any (of it). non ne ho trovato.
1:26 What do you think of it? Cosa ne pensa?
1:47 I spoke about it with him. Ne ho parlato con lui.
2:20 Im going to buy it. Vado a comprarlo.
56
2:32 I was going to buy it. Andavo a comprarlo.
CD 2 Track 37
0:00 For verbs of coming and going you use to be for the past.
0:37 I have gone sono andato
1:00 I left sono partito
1:04 he left partito
1:15 they left sono partiti / sono partite
1:40 we left siamo partiti
2:08 we (all) left (feminine) siamo partite
2:17 We went to see it. Siamo andati a vederlo.
3:10 we finished abbiamo finito
3:48 Weve finished doing it. Abbiamo finito di farlo.
4:22 to study studiare
4:32 We finished studying today. Abbiamo finito di studiare oggi.
5:00 Everything is finished. Tutto finito.
5:13 to learn imparare
5:28 I think / in my opinion / secondo me
according to me
5:49 Weve learnt a lot. Abbiamo imparato molto.
CD 2 Track 38
0:09 Im waiting for you. La aspetto.
0:26 Ive been waiting for you La aspetto da dieci minuti.
for ten minutes.
0:51 I was waiting for you. La aspettavo.
1:24 Ive been waiting for you. La aspetto.
1:56 Ive been doing it. Lo faccio.
2:33 I will be doing it. Lo far.
2:53 Ive been doing it for a Lo faccio da molto tempo.
long time.
3:47 I was doing it. Lo facevo.
4:00 I have been here for two days. Sono qui da due giorni.
5:15 Ive been living abito
5:24 to arrive arrivare
57
5:47 I arrived sono arrivato / sono arrivata
6:18 they (the women) arrived sono arrivate
6:42 remember ricordare
6:51 I remember ricordo
CD 2 Track 39
0:00 to have fun / to enjoy oneself divertirsi
0:18 Im having fun / I enjoy myself mi diverto
0:48 I will have fun / mi divertir
I will enjoy myself
2:00 Im having lots of fun mi diverto molto
2:02 hes having fun si diverte
2:51 were having fun ci divertiamo
3:17 I had fun / I enjoyed myself mi sono divertito
3:26 With reflexive verbs in Italian, you use to be to form the past.
4:49 we had fun ci siamo divertiti
5:21 we see each other / we meet ci vediamo
5:48 we will meet ci vediamo / ci vedremo
7:49 we would meet ci vedremmo
8:01 At what time shall we A che ora ci vedremo domani?
meet tomorrow?
CD 2 Track 40
0:00 to meet / to encounter incontrare
0:16 we meet (we encounter ci incontriamo
each other)
0:46 we will meet ci incontreremo
1:37 I prefer doing it that way. Preferisco farlo cos.
1:54 Do you prefer doing it Preferisce farlo cos?
that way?
2:17 What do you prefer? Cosa preferisce?
2:39 to know sapere
2:45 I know so
2:54 I dont know it. Non lo so.
2:58 Why dont you know it? Perch non lo sa?
58
3:09 The word to know in English has two meanings: to know
(general knowledge) and to be acquainted (with somebody).
In Italian you have sapere for general knowledge, but to know
somebody is conosco.
3:42 I dont know her. Non la conosco.
4:02 you know conosce
4:08 Do you know her? La conosce?
4:17 I know her very well. La conosco molto bene.
4:30 to ask domandare / chiedere
4:52 Will you ask him to wait Vuole domandargli di aspettarmi?
for me?
5:57 Can you tell him to call Pu dirgli di chiamarmi
me later? pi tardi?
CD 2 Track 41
0:00 Are you having fun? / Si diverte?
Do you enjoy yourself?
0:07 himself / herself / itself / si
yourself / oneself
1:06 Have fun! Si diverta!
1:10 Enjoy yourself! Si diverta!
2:00 In Italian there are three types of verbs (-are, -ere, -ire) and
we divide them up into two categories or tracks. For you/he/she/it
you surface on -a for -are verbs and on -e for the other verbs.
3:04 At what time are you leaving? A che ora parte?
3:24 Do you speak Italian? Parla italiano?
4:05 Why dont you speak Italian Perch non parla italiano
with me? con me?
CD 2 Track 42
0:24 He gives me. Mi d.
0:40 I say / I tell dico
1:04 Why dont you tell it to me? Perch non me lo dice?
1:28 I want to know it. Voglio saperlo.
59
1:37 I have to know it. Ho bisogno di saperlo. /
Devo saperlo.
2:17 How are you? Come sta?
2:30 Im fine. Sto bene.
2:41 Everything is going well. Tutto va bene.
2:54 Will you have it fixed? Vuol farlo riparare?
3:44 to have something done is to make / to let somebody do it
(fare immediately followed by the infinitive).
4:03 Will you let me know? Vuole farmi sapere?
4:31 to show mostrare
4:43 Will you show me? Vuol mostrarmi?
5:08 something qualcosa
5:12 Can you show me something? Pu mostrarmi qualcosa?
5:44 Can you let me see / Pu farmi vedere qualcosa?
make me see something?
CD 2 Track 43
0:00 other altro
0:06 the same thing la stessa cosa
0:19 I want the same thing for me. Voglio la stessa cosa per me.
0:40 the same lo stesso
0:49 Thats not the same. Non lo stesso.
1:06 there is c
1:15 there are ci sono
1:22 Theres a message for you. C un messaggio per lei.
1:48 people la gente
2:02 many people molta gente
2:23 There are many people here. C molta gente qui.
2:38 How would you say it? Come lo dice?
3:18 its being said (it says itself) si dice
3:37 How does one say it in Italian? Come si dice in italiano?
4:29 to write scrivere
4:35 Im writing scrivo
4:39 Why dont you write to me? Perch non mi scrive?
5:02 Why dont you call me? Perch non mi chiama?
60
6:09 How does one say? Come si dice?
6:18 How do you spell it? (How is it Come si scrive?
(being) written? / How does
it write itself?)
CD 2 Track 44
0:00 I sell vendo
0:07 youre selling vende
0:13 Why dont you sell it? Perch non lo vende?
0:24 Hes selling it. Lo vende.
0:35 He was selling it. Lo vendeva.
0:56 He used to sell it. Lo vendeva.
1:02 It is being sold. Si vende.
1:20 it takes ci vuole
1:41 It takes a lot of time. Ci vuole molto tempo.
1:53 How long does it take? / Quanto tempo ci vuole?
How much time does it take?
2:20 I am in a hurry. Ho fretta.
2:41 I want to know how long it Voglio sapere quanto tempo
is taking because I am in ci vuole perch ho fretta.
a hurry.
3:13 Im leaving parto
3:26 Im going out esco
3:34 At what time are you A che ora esce?
going out?
CD 2 Track 45
0:00 Im leaving vado
0:18 Im going away. Vado via.
0:23 Im going (myself) Me ne vado.
away (from it).
0:35 from it / of it ne
1:12 I have to go now. Devo andarmene.
2:13 Im sorry but I cannot wait. Mi dispiace, ma non posso
aspettare.
3:11 because it is taking too long perch ci vuole troppo tempo
61
3:35 and Im in a hurry e ho fretta
3:43 and Im leaving e esco
4:02 Im going away. Me ne vado.
4:23 I have to go now. Devo andarmene.
4:46 to send mandare
4:51 Will you tell him to send it Vuole dirgli di mandarmelo
to me today. oggi.
7:08 because I need it perch ne ho bisogno
8:26 Weve finished studying Abbiamo finito di studiare
Italian today. italiano oggi.
62
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63
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